Separate Ways
by The Smash Crew
Summary: The Smashers find themselves at each other's necks when Master Hand suddenly falls ill. Some are even leaving the mansion. But then what would be Smash Bros. without them?


Smash Mansion, a luxurious home to all those competing in the Super Smash Bros. events - a wide range, from the famous hero Mario, to the renowned racer Captain Falcon, even to the trained killer, Solid Snake. All was held together by a single force of balance, Master Hand, a huge disembodied gloved hand with the capability to float - who should not be confused with Crazy Hand, a similar being, who is the next in command in the instance of anything happening to Master Hand. All was well enough - there were some issues, but Master Hand kept them all under control, creating a surface of harmony. But of course, no system is truly perfect, and surface is just that.

**Separate Ways**

Master Hand, the keeper of the Smash Mansion, was bedridden. How a hand could get ill and need to stay in bed is a mystery, but it happened regardless. Crazy Hand, his significantly more irrational counterpart, was filling in for him for the duration of the sickness - expected to be short, claims Doctor Mario, a former Smasher who retired and took up the role of doctor.

--

_Dining Room_

Yoshi had just finished his dinner, which was burned - to be expected, what with R.O.B. cooking. He sighed and pushed away his plate of charred chicken (with notable laser marks), before standing up abruptly to leave. The blue dragon had had a lot on his mind lately - nothing had really changed much, but the tension between the Smashers was really unbearable. He watched in disdain as Diddy Kong tossed a peel onto the floor behind him, where a small pile had accumulated. Sighing, he started towards the exit - only to feel an inky banana peel beneath his feet.

Diddy wasn't paying much attention to his bananas, instead thinking about Squirtle, the turtle Pokémon who always seemed overly cross. _Why, just the other day, the jerk yelled at me just for getting rid of my banana peels! What am I supposed to do, eat them too?_ Thoughts like this spent much time in the monkey's mind, causing to turn him more and more sour. As if on cue, Squirtle sulked into the dining room, and Diddy gave a bitter smile, acting indifferent while aiming the slippery peel right in Squirtle's path. Like a charm, the Pokémon stepped on it, and fell flat on his face.

Squirtle was thinking. _What was Ganondorf's problem? He just stormed by without a word! And why has Marth been so moody lately? And of course, Pikachu has been ragi-_ His thoughts were cut off when he stepped on a banana peel and found himself airborne for the briefest second, before plunging his face into the floor. He slowly stood back up, shaking - he was really going to take no more of this nonsense with the banana peels. Narrowing his eyes, he looked around the room. _Must have been quite the throw, Diddy's halfway across the room..._ He turned the other way, and saw Donkey Kong snickering while holding an unpeeled banana. "What? Dude, why are you looking at me like that?" He slowly looked down at his banana, then at Diddy's peel on the floor. "Wait..." Squirtle snapped.

Kirby was happily inhaling chicken slice after chicken slice, while the obviously flattered R.O.B. continually supplied them. Just before devouring his sixth slice, Donkey Kong fell next to his chair, a trail of water flying after him. The banana he was just holding was sent spiraling through the air - and directly onto Kirby's plate, whose eyes lit up at the sight of food from the heavens. The bewildered ape stood back up, but that wasn't one of Kirby's worries at the time.

R.O.B., meanwhile, was also thinking. _Here, more chicken. ... Here, have more chicken. ... Banana? That's not chicken, give me that._ At that, Kirby's eyes lit up - not with joy this time, however.

Yoshi managed to get up, which was difficult, with his frustration and short limbs. Surveying the dining room with horror, he noticed that Squirtle was knocking Donkey Kong around, banana peels lay strewn about, and Kirby was flinging R.O.B. - Yoshi wasn't quite sure how he did that, but there it was. Olimar (who wasn't enjoying the meal, what with his suit) was obviously disturbed by the chaos, and thus he stood up and whistled loudly. Slowly, the Smashers all dropped what they were doing, and turned to face Olimar. He eyed them all sternly, and shook his head slowly - and as if by magic, the fighting stopped. Yoshi stared at Olimar - _leadership abilities really do come in handy, it would seem._

Donkey Kong then enjoyed his bananas, dripping though he was, and R.O.B. managed to avoid getting his frame damaged, while Squirtle didn't slip on any more banana peels.

--

_Boss' Office_

Crazy Hand sat at the desk, poring over various documents detailing funds and payments. He snapped to attention as the door opened, and a group of troubled Smashers walked into the office - Blue Yoshi, Olimar, Wolf, and finally Mario.

"Crazy Hand, if you didn't know, there was a disturbance last night." Wolf said, idly flexing his claws.

Mario gave a swift nod. "Yes, there was a big fight at dinner! Kirby and-a Donkey Kong..."

Crazy Hand cut him off. "A-a fight? Erm... You mean, they were actually battling each other outside of the arena?" He received several nods in response, and the hand looked around nervously.

"As far as I could tell, Squirtle slipped on a banana, attacked Donkey Kong for it, who accidentally started a fight between R.O.B. and Kirby." Yoshi confirmed.

"B-but this is terrible! And right when Master Hand is incapable... Oh, what to do?" Crazy Hand fretted, before calming down somewhat. "So I should... Punish those who fought?"

"So you don't even have an emergency plan?" Wolf came in sharply. Crazy Hand slumped, and responded with a small, "No..." Wolf sighed. "Obviously, they deserve punishment for defying the rules of the Smash Mansion."

"R-right. So what should the punishment be?" Crazy Hand asked.

"How about they can't have any battles for the time?" Mario suggested. The rest nodded at the idea.

"It has a sense of beautiful irony... It's a good idea." Yoshi replied thoughtfully. Wolf gave a grim nod.

"Seems sound. What more of a punishment could you give?" He smirked. Olimar, however, gesticulated. Somehow understanding his wild movements, Crazy Hand spoke up.

"Well, if they continue to fight outside of the arena, then they get a more severe punishment." He replied confidently. "I like the idea, Mario. Thanks to all of you." Mario smiled, following the rest of his party outside of the office.

--

_Living Area_

Mario was walking back to his room. It had been a long evening, and he was eager to get to sleep. _I wonder how everyone will react?_ He thought. Of a sudden, Lucario stormed past angrily. "Uh... Excuse me? Lucario?" Receiving no answer, Mario's curiosity was piqued, and he followed the jackal.

_How... This is unjust!_ Lucario was sitting in his bedroom, thinking. _Donkey Kong and R.O.B. were innocent... How could they be banned?_ Earlier, Crazy Hand announced that Squirtle, Donkey Kong, Kirby, and R.O.B. were temporarily banned for battling outside of the arena. _And Diddy Kong? He's the one who started it, and he gets off scot-free!_ Interrupting his thoughts, however, Mario entered the room.

"Uh... Sorry Lucario. So, what'sa up with you?"

Lucario glared at him. "The ban. Enacted against Squirtle, Donkey Kong, Kirby, and R.O.B.. Even though Diddy Kong, Squirtle, and Kirby were the only ones who hurt anyone."

Mario's brow furrowed. "Huh? But I thought Donkey Kong tripped Squirtle with his banana peel..."

Lucario shook his head and stood up from the floor. "Look, I've about had it. Nobody's fair in this place, nobody accepts responsibility. Now Crazy Hand is leading us - leaving behind about our only sensible member, Master Hand?"

The plumber raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean-a, Lucario?"

Lucario turned abruptly. "I'm leaving."

--

_Antechamber_

Lucario was gone. Where he left, nobody knew - except, perhaps, Charizard, who he spoke to before leaving. But with sealed lips, and a different language anyway, they were unlikely to find out from him. A small group had just seen him off. Ivysaur, obviously deeply saddened by his departure, stormed away, giving everybody in the group sharp glares.

"... This is terrible." Yoshi muttered, gazing sadly at the front doors.

"They can't handle something this tough. Think of it this way, Yoshi, at least all the weak are leaving. The strong will remain." Wolf 'reassured', getting a disapproving look from Peach.

"Wolf! Why must you judge people based on their strength?" She asked, arms crossed. Wolf acted exasperated, but didn't respond.

"Everybody just-a needs to stay calm throughout all this and it'll go away soon." Mario said, attempting to calm down the agitated spirit.

"How do we stay calm when everything is being turned upside down?" Pit demanded from behind them all. The group turned to face him, and Wolf glared.

"Look kid, it isn't the end of the world because one person left. No doubt he'll come crawling back anyway. We're not going to _die_ because a few people can't enter the arena. So just pipe down." He growled, and Pit shrunk back slightly.

"But... But everyone is following! Everybody's been acting wrong since the ban..." The angel mumbled in response.

"Don't worry, Pit. Everyone's just... Surprised. It'll be back to normal soon." Mario offered, receiving a small smile and a nod from Pit.

"Sure. I just... I hope you aren't wrong."

--

_Red's Bedroom_

After suitable mumbling about Lucario, Red finally fell asleep without recalling his Pokémon. Squirtle was sitting with him, while Ivysaur was talking with Charizard.

"_He's gone, Charizard. He left forever. We're _never_ going to see him again._" Ivysaur hissed with narrowed eyelids. Charizard remained calm, however.

"_And you... What, read his mind to know he won't come back? Funny, I didn't know Ivysaurs were Psychic. Guess I'd better shield my thoughts from now on._" He smirked in response. Ivysaur looked exasperated.

"_Look, I can tell when somebody's angered. And he was _angry_. The odds of him coming back with that anger are... Very slim, at best._"

"_Well, what if it was a temporary rage he flew into? Those can be more severe than lasting anger, but they are short. Maybe he'll feel better soon?_" Charizard explained, still as calm as ever.

"_... No. He's been troubled for a long time - no doubt he finally felt some relief when he left. Ever wondered why he was so eager to visit places, go shopping, and such? It's because this mansion reminds him of everything wrong with the occupants._" Ivysaur responded. Charizard haltered for a second.

"_... Ah, very well. Failing all that... We may still see him again._" Ivysaur raised his leafy brow, and Charizard took that as his cue to continue. "_Before he left, he spoke to me... He told me not to speak a word of this to anyone, but I never liked him that much anyway, so I'll tell you._" Ivysaur opened his mouth angrily to speak, but then thought better of it. Charizard continued, "_He said yes, he was tired of everyone. Yes, he liked to get away so as to not be reminded of the Smashers. He said the only reasonable member here was Master Hand, and now that he's bedridden, nobody here is worth being here with._" Ivysaur cut him off there.

"_So is there a point to all this, or are you telling me things about him that I know?_" Charizard looked annoyed about being interrupted, and responded.

"_If you let me _finish_, I'm telling you about how he told me where he was going._" Ivysaur's eyes grew.

"_... Go on..._" He asked eagerly, an emotion not often heard from the plant creature.

"_Right. Now, if you let me continue... He said just before ending the conversation that there was one place he always dreamed of, and that that would be his destination._" Ivysaur nodded, watching intently. "_And then he said that that place was..."_

Ivysaur stared at him. Charizard stared back.

"_... Where!?_" Ivysaur asked.

"_... ZEBES._" Charizard responded. Ivysaur stared at him. "_No, not really Zebes_." He reassured, before continuing.


End file.
